I finished my interview with Carl Lanore of Super Human Radio a few hours ago. It was a pleasure. I’ve done interviews in the past with radio hosts who aren’t knowledgeable about nutrition and obviously didn’t watch the film. They just thought it was kind of cool that I lost weight eating fast food.
Carl, by contrast, is passionate about health and nutrition and can cite studies the way some people can cite sports statistics. And it was clear when we spoke before the interview that he watched Fat Head.
I normally let a fever do its work, but in the interest of sounding coherent, I took an ibuprofen about an hour before the interview. I didn’t feel fabulous, but I’m reasonably sure I answered the same questions Carl asked me.
If you click the play button below, you can listen to the interview.
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If you ever start working on that movie about bad science and need a spare set of hands, let me know. That sounds like it would be an absolute blast.
I believe there was a Three Stooges episode where they were working in a lab. Imagine that for opening credits …
If you ever start working on that movie about bad science and need a spare set of hands, let me know. That sounds like it would be an absolute blast.
I believe there was a Three Stooges episode where they were working in a lab. Imagine that for opening credits …
Hi Tom
As ever, you interview well, and did not need to use irony or humour to make points with your interviewer.
You referred to the Doc who did your weight and bloods for Fat Head, and who showed surprise with respect to the outcomes. For him, this was one counterexample – Tom Naughton, anecdotal evidence! Have you ever found out if this changed his approach in the future?
This business of statins has been reduced to spin and marketing. For example, reading various studies, I conclude that the NNT (Number Needed to Treat ) to extend life or the time to a coronary event is 250. In addition, it seems that up to 3% of those taking statins suffer side effects, i.e. about 7 from the NNT of 250. So as well as 250 people PAYING money to extend ONE life by months, SEVEN of the 250 suffer side-effects. The marketers deny or obscure this.
A Bad Science movie could be a great project.
I recently re-read Taubes’ prize winning article on “The Salt Wars”. I could see so many examples of experts unwilling to even express surprise – like your Doc – never mind altering their views.
If I were a temporary Swiss resident in the USA, and advised to reduce my saturated fat intake to lower my risk of heart disease would reply as follows: “My Swiss genes protect me me from heart disease, just look at this study”.
Hmmm
Do those who live by the ” correlation IS causation” sword ever fall upon it?
GO TO IT.
I dropped a DVD at that doctor’s office, with a note of thanks and my phone number. Never heard from him, so I don’t know what he thought.
The interview is fascinating, but the bandwidth on the recording is such that it keeps pausing every 10-15 seconds. I tried listening to it and got halfway through it and the constant pausing and waiting for the playback to start up again was driving me buggy.
Hmmm … my wife listened to it after I posted it, and it played straight through. Maybe a connection issue was happening with their server.
Hi Tom
As ever, you interview well, and did not need to use irony or humour to make points with your interviewer.
You referred to the Doc who did your weight and bloods for Fat Head, and who showed surprise with respect to the outcomes. For him, this was one counterexample – Tom Naughton, anecdotal evidence! Have you ever found out if this changed his approach in the future?
This business of statins has been reduced to spin and marketing. For example, reading various studies, I conclude that the NNT (Number Needed to Treat ) to extend life or the time to a coronary event is 250. In addition, it seems that up to 3% of those taking statins suffer side effects, i.e. about 7 from the NNT of 250. So as well as 250 people PAYING money to extend ONE life by months, SEVEN of the 250 suffer side-effects. The marketers deny or obscure this.
A Bad Science movie could be a great project.
I recently re-read Taubes’ prize winning article on “The Salt Wars”. I could see so many examples of experts unwilling to even express surprise – like your Doc – never mind altering their views.
If I were a temporary Swiss resident in the USA, and advised to reduce my saturated fat intake to lower my risk of heart disease would reply as follows: “My Swiss genes protect me me from heart disease, just look at this study”.
Hmmm
Do those who live by the ” correlation IS causation” sword ever fall upon it?
GO TO IT.
I dropped a DVD at that doctor’s office, with a note of thanks and my phone number. Never heard from him, so I don’t know what he thought.
Great interview! You didn’t sound sick at all. 🙂
Back in the day, I did a few standup shows while sick as a dog, so I guess some adrenaline kicks in. I remember a Saturday night at Zanies in Chicago when the emcee had to wake me up before each of the three shows.
That was excellent. Have you thought about using paypall and allow people to donate to your next (potential) documentary about bad science?
Never occurred to me. I can tell you that if I ever do another one, it will only be if someone else is financing it.
“The FDA wants to take away that grain of salt”
That’s classic. I’m surprised you didn’t get a laugh for that. Great interview! You did in fact answer the questions asked, and you sounded completely normal to me. I wouldn’t have known you had a fever if you hadn’t said so.
My wife laughed at the grain of salt reference when she listened later, so I got the audience reaction comedians seek.
The interview is fascinating, but the bandwidth on the recording is such that it keeps pausing every 10-15 seconds. I tried listening to it and got halfway through it and the constant pausing and waiting for the playback to start up again was driving me buggy.
Hmmm … my wife listened to it after I posted it, and it played straight through. Maybe a connection issue was happening with their server.
Great interview! You didn’t sound sick at all. 🙂
Back in the day, I did a few standup shows while sick as a dog, so I guess some adrenaline kicks in. I remember a Saturday night at Zanies in Chicago when the emcee had to wake me up before each of the three shows.
That was excellent. Have you thought about using paypall and allow people to donate to your next (potential) documentary about bad science?
Never occurred to me. I can tell you that if I ever do another one, it will only be if someone else is financing it.
“The FDA wants to take away that grain of salt”
That’s classic. I’m surprised you didn’t get a laugh for that. Great interview! You did in fact answer the questions asked, and you sounded completely normal to me. I wouldn’t have known you had a fever if you hadn’t said so.
My wife laughed at the grain of salt reference when she listened later, so I got the audience reaction comedians seek.
Loved the interview. The few militant vegans I know (there aren’t many because the guesstimate of how many people are practicing vegetarians in America is only about 2%. The adult population of the US is about 225 million. That would make about 5 million vegies. If you subtract off the heart disease, diabetes and cancers from the omnivores, that leaves roughly 160 MILLION healthy omnivores – 155 MILLION more than there are vegies in TOTAL). Anyway, the vegans I know are unhappy, grumpy and sickly looking and quite depressed… just an observer, armchair diagnosis. And anecdotally, the two statin users in my family, who I cannot convince to stop, are DEFINITELY depressed. So sad and upsetting really.
If I knew a bunch of long-term vegans who are healthy and strong, I’d be more inclined to believe their claims about the health benefits. But my experience is similar to yours; the vegans I know do not look healthy.
Loved the interview. The few militant vegans I know (there aren’t many because the guesstimate of how many people are practicing vegetarians in America is only about 2%. The adult population of the US is about 225 million. That would make about 5 million vegies. If you subtract off the heart disease, diabetes and cancers from the omnivores, that leaves roughly 160 MILLION healthy omnivores – 155 MILLION more than there are vegies in TOTAL). Anyway, the vegans I know are unhappy, grumpy and sickly looking and quite depressed… just an observer, armchair diagnosis. And anecdotally, the two statin users in my family, who I cannot convince to stop, are DEFINITELY depressed. So sad and upsetting really.
If I knew a bunch of long-term vegans who are healthy and strong, I’d be more inclined to believe their claims about the health benefits. But my experience is similar to yours; the vegans I know do not look healthy.
Great interview!
The new government dietary guidelines are out by the way.
bit.ly/gov9N57wO
The only part they got right was “less sugar”. Other than that, to quote directly: “Indeed, observational data generally report that higher carbohydrate intake is linked to lower body weight”
and
“The growing data to support a risk of T2D from SFA consumption supports the need for fat-modified diets in persons with pre-diabetes, including those with metabolic syndrome, and those with established diabetes”.
So, high carb diets will cause you to lose weight and high fat will cause diabetes.
Is it just me, or do they have this backwards? I don’t think it’s just me…
Yup, I’ve been looking them over. I may write about them if I can stop gagging long enough.
Great interview (despite all the commercials). Keep up the good work.
There were a few of those. Glad none were for Lipitor.
Great interview!
The new government dietary guidelines are out by the way.
bit.ly/gov9N57wO
The only part they got right was “less sugar”. Other than that, to quote directly: “Indeed, observational data generally report that higher carbohydrate intake is linked to lower body weight”
and
“The growing data to support a risk of T2D from SFA consumption supports the need for fat-modified diets in persons with pre-diabetes, including those with metabolic syndrome, and those with established diabetes”.
So, high carb diets will cause you to lose weight and high fat will cause diabetes.
Is it just me, or do they have this backwards? I don’t think it’s just me…
Yup, I’ve been looking them over. I may write about them if I can stop gagging long enough.
Great stuff as always Tom.
Loved the comment about how the low-fat culture is almost like a religion and its very hard to get people to open their minds up to the fact that it may be (a.k.a IS) wrong.
We put far too much trust in authority figures (Government, Doctors, etc) far beyond their actual capabilities and we find it hard to believe that they don’t have all the answers. Thats why I love your take that its personal responsibility; you gotta take care of yourself first and foremost.
As a side note I found this glorious website: http://www.simplynutrition.co.nz/nutrition_tips.html
Among other things (and theres alot), read what they say about removing the visible fat from meat.
Keep up the good work.
Gads, all the same nonsense.
Great interview (despite all the commercials). Keep up the good work.
There were a few of those. Glad none were for Lipitor.
Great stuff as always Tom.
Loved the comment about how the low-fat culture is almost like a religion and its very hard to get people to open their minds up to the fact that it may be (a.k.a IS) wrong.
We put far too much trust in authority figures (Government, Doctors, etc) far beyond their actual capabilities and we find it hard to believe that they don’t have all the answers. Thats why I love your take that its personal responsibility; you gotta take care of yourself first and foremost.
As a side note I found this glorious website: http://www.simplynutrition.co.nz/nutrition_tips.html
Among other things (and theres alot), read what they say about removing the visible fat from meat.
Keep up the good work.
Gads, all the same nonsense.
Great interview, Tom. I enjoyed it very much. Especially the part about statins! Thanks!!
Thank you, Ramona.
Great interview, Tom. I enjoyed it very much. Especially the part about statins! Thanks!!
Thank you, Ramona.
Very good interview. For being sick you sounded great. Hope you are well soon.
Down to just a cough now, thanks.
Really enjoyed this. I’m a big fan of Fat Head and your blog. I use your site to jump to my other favorite sites, like PaNu, Hyperlipid and all the rest – a truly awesome blogroll. I am curious, however, why the omission of Mark’s Daily Apple? He is a fan of Fat Head… Perhaps just an oversight?
Absolutely an oversight. Mark’s a star blogger. Thanks for pointing it out; I’ll add the link.
Very good interview. For being sick you sounded great. Hope you are well soon.
Down to just a cough now, thanks.
Really enjoyed this. I’m a big fan of Fat Head and your blog. I use your site to jump to my other favorite sites, like PaNu, Hyperlipid and all the rest – a truly awesome blogroll. I am curious, however, why the omission of Mark’s Daily Apple? He is a fan of Fat Head… Perhaps just an oversight?
Absolutely an oversight. Mark’s a star blogger. Thanks for pointing it out; I’ll add the link.